Goat Cheese Brownies

A sugared, tangy layer of goat cheese swirled between two layers of salted dark chocolate- this is the deliciously decadent magic that happens when sweet and savory meet each other halfway.

Goat Cheese Brownies
Chocolate Layer
Ingredients
3 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup canola oil
2 tablespoons water
2/3 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup powdered sugar
3/4 tsp salt
1 cup flour
1 cup dark chocolate, cut into pieces
Fleur de sel or maldon for sprinkling

Goat Cheese Layer
Ingredients
7 ounces goat cheese, room temp
1 tablespoon powdered sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon flour
1/2 teaspoon milk (or water)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a 8x8 pan or glass baking dish (baking time will be much shorter if using the former). In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, oil, vanilla, and water until uniform. In separate large bowl, whisk the cocoa powder, sugars, salt, flour, and chocolate pieces together. Add the wet ingredients to dry and fold until just combined and no flour remains visible. In a small bowl, mix all goat cheese ingredients together until a wet, smooth, paste is formed. You can also add more milk little by little if your mixture is too thick to spread, and as a reader noted, warming the cheese in the microwave to soften helps as well.

Assembly
Spread half the chocolate mixture into prepared pan, then layer all of the cheese mixture, and top with the rest of chocolate mixture- everything spread evenly to ends of pan for distinct layers. Sprinkle with a little fleur de sel. Bake for approx 45 minutes, or until center is set and skewer test comes out clean. Let cool completely before cutting.
Adapted from: Always With Butter

Spiced Peaches and Cream Cookies

Peaches spiced with cardamom, nutmeg, and cinnamon tempered by vanilla and cream make these cookies spicy and subtly sweet, and the baking powder in the recipe lends to the cookie's soft, cake-like texture. This was the perfect cookie to say goodbye to peaches and summer, and welcome spices and fall!

Spiced Peaches and Cream Cookies
Ingredients
2 diced peaches
1 tsp lemon juice
1/2 cup sugar + 1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon cardamom
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold and cubed
2/3 cup heavy cream
Demerara sugar for sprinkling (which I forgot!)

Directions
Preheat oven to 350F. Mix peaches, spices, vanilla, and 1 tablespoon of sugar in a bowl. Mix flour, baking powder, and salt in another bowl, and cut in butter until the mixture is like coarse sand. Stir in the heavy cream to the dry mix. Finally, add the peaches and incorporate well. Spoon two tablespoons onto a parchment lined sheet pan for each cookie. Sprinkle tops with demerara sugar. Bake for 20 minutes, turning pan half way through.
Inspired by: Always With Butter

Bourbon Maple Pecan Donuts

Browned butter, vanilla, and bourbon baked donuts topped with a maple glaze and toasted pecans.

Bourbon Maple Pecan Donuts
Ingredients
2 cups cake flour, sifted
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon bourbon
3/4 cup buttermilk
2 eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons butter, melted and browned Pecans, chopped and toasted

Directions
Spray donut pan with nonstick cooking spray and preheat oven to 425F. Sift together cake flour, sugar, baking powder, nutmeg, and salt in a large mixing bowl. In another bowl, whisk buttermilk, eggs, vanilla, bourbon, and melted browned butter. Add the wet to dry and mix until just combined. Fill a piping bag with batter and pipe into each donut cup until about 2/3 full. Bake about 10 minutes, or until the top of the donuts spring back when touched. Cool in the pan for about 5 minutes before removing from pan. Cool fully before glazing. Makes 12 donuts.
Adapted from: Wilton

Maple Glaze
Ingredients
2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup maple syrup

Directions
Whisk all ingredients together in a bowl large and deep enough to dunk one side of donut. Sprinkle with pecans.

Dark Chocolate Raspberry Tartlets

Pate sucree with dark chocolate caramel filling, topped with farmer's market raspberries. Served with port whipped cream.

Blind bake your favorite tart dough recipe.

Chocolate Caramel Filling
Ingredients
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon corn syrup
1/4 cup dark chocolate, chopped
1 cup heavy cream
Pinch or two of salt

Directions
Combine the sugar, water, and cornsyrup in a saucepan and bring to boil. Cook until a dark amber color, but be sure to not burn (it's a fine line). Remove from heat and SLOWLY stir in cream (it will splatter and steam up). Pour mixture over chocolate pieces in a separate bowl, add salt, and let mixture sit 1-2 minutes to allow chocolate to melt, then whisk until smooth. Let mixture cool (it will thicken during this process). Pour or pipe filling into tart shells and arrange fresh raspberries on top. Refrigerate to set for at least 3 hours.

Port Whipped Cream
Ingredients
1 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon port
1 tablespoon powdered sugar

Directions
Whip cream a bit and then add sugar and port, continuing to whip until cream holds wet stiff peaks.

Plum Gateau de Riz (Plum Rice Pudding Cake)

Baked spiced rice pudding topped with roasted plums slices.

Plum Gateau de Riz
Ingredients
1 cup short grain rice
1 cup water
1 can coconut milk (14oz)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
6 large eggs
2 plums sliced thin
Powdered sugar for dusting

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350F and position a rack in the middle. Butter and flour four 6"x3 1/2" loaf pans. In a large saucepan, bring the rice, one cup water, cinnamon, and half the coconut milk to a boil. Turn the heat down to a simmer, cover and let cook until all the liquid has been absorbed (about 20 minutes). Set aside to cool slightly. In a large bowl, mix together the remaining coconut milk, brown sugar, vanilla, and the eggs until well blended. Add the rice and mix until everything is well incorporated. Pour the batter evenly between prepared pans. Arrange plum slices on the cake. Bake for about 30 to 40 minutes until the top is golden brown. Dust generously with powdered sugar when cooled.
Adapted from: Tartelette

Lavender Lemon Tartlets

Lavender pate sucree tartlets filled with lemon curd and topped with lavender infused whipped cream.

Blind bake your favorite tart dough recipe and be sure to mix baking lavender into dough before baking.

Lemon Curd
Ingredients
8 large egg yolks
Finely grated zest of 2 lemons
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 3 lemons)
1 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoons salt
1 1/4 sticks (10 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cold, cut into pieces

Directions
Combine yolks, lemon zest, lemon juice, and sugar in a bowl set over a double boiler; whisk to combine. Cook, stirring constantly (be sure to scrape the sides of the bowl regularly), until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of the spoon, 8 to 10 minutes, and/or registers 160 degrees on an instant-read thermometer. Remove bowl from heat and add salt and butter, one piece at a time, stirring until smooth. Strain through a fine sieve into a medium bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, pressing it directly onto the surface of the curd to prevent a skin from forming. Refrigerate until chilled and set, at least 1 hour or up to 1 day.
Adapted from: Martha Stewart

Lavender Whipped Cream
Ingredients
1 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon baking lavender
1 tablespoon powdered sugar
Lavender for garnish

Directions
Combine cream and lavender. Cover and infuse to taste. Strain lavender from cream. Whip cream a bit and then add sugar, continuing to whip until cream holds wet stiff peaks.

Port Chocolate Caramel Pie

Filled with salted almonds and sprinkled with fleur de sel.

Blind bake your favorite tart dough recipe.

Port Chocolate Caramel Pie
Ingredients
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup heavy cream
3 tablespoons port
2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 ounce dark chocolate
1 cup salted almonds
Fleur de sel for sprinkling

Directions
Combine the sugar and water in a saucepan and bring to boil (without stirring), wiping down sides with wet pastry brush to ensure no sugar crystal formation. Cook until a dark amber color, but be sure to not burn (it's a fine line). Remove from heat and SLOWLY stir in cream and port (it will splatter and steam up). Whisk in butter pieces until fully dissolved, and then pour mixture over chocolate pieces in a separate bowl, letting mixture sit 1-2 minutes to allow chocolate to melt, and then whisk until smooth. Let mixture cool (it will thicken during this process). Line pre-baked tart shells with one solid layer of crushed almonds, pour or pipe in filling, and then top with remaining crushed almonds. Sprinkle with fleur de sel. Refrigerate to set for at least 3 hours.
Adapted from: Martha Stewart's New Pies and Tarts

Apple Cinnamon Rose Cups

Welcome back, September!
Pate sablee filled with apple custard and topped with vanilla cinnamon infused apple slices.

Use your favorite tart dough recipe to line muffin tins and blind bake.

Apples

Ingredients
8 apples, sliced in half, and then sliced thin face down
4 cups apple juice
2 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp vanilla
Cinnamon sugar for sprinkling

Directions
Bring apple juice and sugar to a boil. Add cinnamon and sugar to saucepan, and then the apple slices. Simmer for approx 10 mins, or until the apple slices are tender. Scoop slices out when ready and dry out/cool a bit on cooling rack.
Inspired by: Time To Cook

Pastry Cream

Ingredients
2 cups whole milk
1/2 vanilla bean, seeds scraped
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup sugar
3 large egg yolks
1/4 cup cornstarch

Directions
Combine the milk, vanilla bean scrapings, and half the sugar in a saucepan and bring to boil. In the meantime, whisk the eggs, cornstarch, and remaining sugar together in a separate bowl. You do not want to let this mixture sit as the eggs will "burn", so only start combining when your milk mixture is very hot. Once milk is boiling, add some of the mixture slowly to the egg mixture to temper, and whisk well. Add all the contents in the bowl into the saucepan and continue to whisk briskly for two minutes until mixture is thickened. Remove from heat and strain. Cover pastry cream with plastic wrap pressed to it to prevent a skin from forming. Cool to room temp.
Inspired by: Martha Stewart

Assembly
Fill baked cups halfway with pastry cream. Assemble approx 15 apple slices in a straight line on counter, each one overlapping the next by half. Beginning from the left, pick the first slice up and roll the whole line to the right. Pick up roll and place upon pastry cream in cup. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.